Leigh Hubbard | The Guardianhttp://www.theguardian.com/profile/leigh-hubbard
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457 visa scheme: time for a proper debate | Leigh Hubbard and Joo-Cheong Thamhttp://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2013/jun/16/457-visa-australia-migration-jobs
A genuine debate regarding temporary labour migration should not be confined to migration policy<p>Since February this year, a debate has raged around the 457 visa scheme. The government has been insistent on fixing an &quot;out of control&quot; scheme by cracking down on &quot;rorts&quot;. On the other hand, its critics have challenged whether the scheme is being abused, accusing the government of xenophobia in the process. So much heat, so little light.</p><p>The government bears significant responsibility for this unedifying debate. Its overblown rhetoric has muddied the waters, and allegations of widespread &quot;rorting&quot; were not substantiated with evidence. If this were an out of control system, why were the amendments it proposed in February merely technical? Why were they, in the words of Michael Easson, chair of the government’s Ministerial Advisory Council on Skilled Migration, simply a &quot;<a href="http://www.smh.com.au/opinion/politics/gillard-takes-on-abbott-in-the-populist-and-cynical-stakes-20130315-2g5xv.html">tidying-up</a>&quot; of the program?</p> <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2013/jun/16/457-visa-australia-migration-jobs">Continue reading...</a>Australia newsMigrationLabor partyCoalitionRace issuesSun, 16 Jun 2013 22:56:00 GMThttp://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2013/jun/16/457-visa-australia-migration-jobsLeigh Hubbard and Joo-Cheong Tham2013-06-16T22:56:00Z